Listen to Port Arthur’s quirky and unconventional take on sad pop on Fall of Man

Experimental pop collective Port Arthur recently released their oddly catchy 5-track EP Fall of Man. The brain child of Luke Shefski adds a healthy dose of quirkiness and fuzzed-out instrumentation to a folk-based rhythm to make you want to dance and cry at the same time.

Shefski’s AJJ-like vocals add a little bit of unconventionality to a twang-infested folk-punk sound, even going so far as to lace almost every track with some lovely Sunday school organ. “I Remember” kicks things off with a slightly Hawaiian vibe as an added lap steel works perfectly with a hollow six-string to tell a story of wanting to love without being able to.

Like in the harmony break of “Control,” quick hits of psychedelic keep your ears on its toes, but manages to stay grounded through a constant acoustic guitar and a heartbroken psyche. While the slow-paced ballads makeup the majority of this record, the true glee comes when the band takes some unexpected right turns, with cuts like “Blue Mountain Moon” and the title track hitting us with some lo-fi banjos and Doors-esque key solos out of nowhere. After it’s all over, Fall of Man ends up as an interesting listen, as anyone who presses play instantly becomes smitten with this weird melting-pot of melodic sounds.